Car-replacer.



- PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. H. K. GILBERT.

GAR REPLAGER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1904.

V 2 SHBET8-SHEBT 1.

PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905. H. K. GILBERT.

GAR REPLAGBR.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 1, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

g- J /5 74 lllllll I W llmuww /7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed November 1, 1904. Serial No. 230,914.

T a, whom, it Weary concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY K. GILBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in CarReplacers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to means for replac ing the wheels of derailed carsand the like,

placing the frog, and to generally improve its efliciency. Theseobjects, and other advantages to hereinafter appear, I attain by meansof the construction illustrated in preferred forms in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of railway trackshowing the complementary pair of replacers designed according to myinvention, in position to replace derailed wheels;

Figure 2 is a side elevation, taken on the rail side, of the right handreplacer or frog shown in Figure 1, being the one designed to raise thewheel which is inside the track,

Figures 3, 4, and 5, are vertical cross sections respectively on thelines (3), (4'), and (5), in Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a side elevation, taken on the rail side, of the left handrep] acer shown in Figure 1, being the one engaging the wheel which ison the outside of the track, and

Figures 7 and 8 are respectively cross sections taken on the lines (7)and (8) in Fig ure 6. 1

From the different conditions to be met, the two co-operating members ofthe pair of replacers are of somewhat diflerent shape, but they arealike in that they are both of general wedge shape on both sides andboth have means on the surface for engagin both the flange and the treadof the whee as. it first starts up the incline, and in both the sur faceis modified toward the top in order to relieve the tread in one case andthe flange in the other case of contact with the surface, so that thewheel may slide off on to the rail when it has been sufficientlyelevated. Considering first the right hand frog shown in Figures 1 to 5it will be seen that it is made preferably of a single casting havingthe strengthening ribs 18 running across, and the holding teeth 17 atthe bottom. The casting has a face 13 which at the top has a roundedcorner and continues as the top flat face 14 running from end to end,and inclined both ways. At the beginning of the incline, as shown inFigures 2, 3, 4, and 5, it will be seen that the portion 14 will engageonly the tread of the wheel before the flange touches, and there is adepressed groove 15 which al lows of the entry of the flange so that theapproach to the incline is gradual and the flange does not immediatelyengage; both the flange and tread are then engaged; but the groove 15ends about half way up the incline and then the surface 14 makes abackward curve which gradually ends in the steep face of ridge 16 whichis elevated as shown at Fig ure 4 to such an inclination as to cause theflange of the wheel to slide off down the surface to the rail. Thesurface upon which the flange operates has a dip or concave form all theway up the surface, but it will be seen that it is formed to engage atfirst the tread,

then flange and tread, and lastly only the flange, the tread humpdisappearing from the surface. This prevents the flange from beingchipped, or the frog being indented, by a blow of the flange. On theinner side, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, it will be seen that I haveprovided a pair of openings between which is the raised rib 19 servingas a handle to lift and move the frog, and this is so placed as tobalance the weight and make it easy to carry or manipulate.

The complementary part of the replacer, for the outside of the rail, isshown at the left of Figure 1 and in detail in Figures 6 to 8. It is ofthe same general form as the first frog, having a flat face 20 near therail, an inclined face 21, with a rounded sloping surface at the middle,and ending in the top ridge 23; but at the two ends of the incline thereare raised flat portions 22 which continue gradually and join with theinclined ridge 23, but end by merging with surface 21 about half way upthe incline so that as the wheel approaches the top of the incline theflange alone engages the surface and the tread is relieved of contactand the wheel may readily slide off the frog to its place on the rail,when raised to the proper height. This member of the pair of replacersalso is provided with the teeth 17 to prevent displacement, and with thecarrying handle 19 placed so as to conveniently manipulate the frog andto carry it by its center of gravity.

It will be seen that by this construction the wheel upon first engagingthe replacer first strikes the tread, then gradually the flange andtread together, and afterward rests upon the flange alone, and that itthus provides an easy and safe approach to the proper position upon thetop of the frog to be automatically slid off of the frog on to the rail,when properly elevated.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A car replacer comprising a casting in the form of a double-endedwedge or incline, each end of the incline having a continuous surface toengage the flange of the wheel and a partial bulge at the beginning ofthe incline to engage the tread of the wheel before contact with theflange, and the surface gradually altering in shape toward the apexwhere there is a steep incline and continuous surface from the apex tothe rail.

2. A car replacer comprising a casting having a double wedge form, eachend of the wedge having an incline with a surface. to engage the flangeof the wheel but with a short portion of the surface being raised toengage the tread only of the wheel, andthe apex of the wedge being acontinuous slanting surface to allow of freely sliding the flange on tothe rail after it has been elevated, substantially as described.

3, In a car replacer a member comprising an integral casting having thestiffening ribs 18 and the tooth lugs 17 and a surface comprising thevertical sides 13, the compound curved hollow surface 14, and the apex16, substantially as described, formed to engage the wheel first onthetread only then upon both the tread and flange and near the apex toengage only the flange, as the wheel is rolled up on the casting.

4. A car replacer comprising a shell having a double wedge incline andprovided with a handle on the side formed by a rib intervening betweentwo slots formed in the side, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunder signed my name in the presence ofthe two subscribed witnesses.

HENRY K. GILBERT.

Witnesses: I

PAUL CARPENTER, ALBERT G. MILLER.

